Taking Things Literally

Fundamentalist -------->> Someone who lives a 'normal life' except for a vague belief in God.

At what point does someone lose the right to call themselves religious?

 

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When they fail to see that their religion or others are really what they say they are. When someone understands that religions are only a way to control people. When a person realizes that their prayers never are answered.

 

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Where did you get that description?

When they become athiest.


All Praise The Ancient Of Days

 

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Actually, fundamentalists tend to be extreme in one fashion or another. Southern Baptists Fundamentalist Christians, for example, prosletyze about the literal exactness of the Bible. Pointing things out to them about the fact they do not follow the ancient laws from numbers and deuteronomy seldom stops them. They have taken an idea, added some concrete, and called it good. Evangelism may or may not be their thing. Some Evangelists I know are Atheists, however, I don't think this makes them Fundamentalist atheists.

 

The moment they veer off their doctrines that demand worship and obedience to their god, of course.

 

At no point do they lose that right. Anyone can call themselves religious whenever they want to.

 

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Which one?

Enmos -

And at which point will that claim become untrue? Or rather, at what point does it become correct?

Is a Christian someone who:

wears a cross around their neck.
isn't scared of death because they believe they will go to heaven.
claims the Bible is a far-fetched metaphor for God and has never read it all the way through.

Or do these sentences describe people who are not Christians? How much picking and choosing is allowed?

 

It is untrue if they really do not believe in a god. But that is impossible to establish.

 

Then they are Theist, but a Christian?

 

All we have to go on is what they say they believe in. There is no way to check, I guess.

 

If they believe in God, they are a Theist.
Surely a Christian follows the teachings of Christ? If so, how can teachings be selected to suit the reader?

 

I don't understand want you mean.

 

I think that most religions are meant as metaphors, problems arise when people take them literally.

 

I've said it once and I'll say it again. If you believe Jesus is the son of God and believe him to be your personal savior, your a Christian. And according to the Bible the guy who kind of believes in Jesus Christ, but accepts that he is the the son of God has an equal chance of getting to heaven as a die-hard "I believe every single thing the Bible says" fundamentalist.

 

What about xtians who don't believe that?

Which particular bible is the one that counts?

 

Why does Christianity offer exactly the same options as a light switch?

So what? I can murder thousands, millions of innocent people, make the same statement as the one above on my deathbed, and *poof* I'm in heaven. Seems anyone can get in to heaven no matter what they did, and they can completely ignore the word of god and his command to obey him with no consequences whatsoever.

:bugeye:

 

Q-You do your homework, right? Just out of curiosity, where is the commandment,"Thou shalt obey the Bible literally"? I know about most of the commands, but that one isn't familiar.

 

Well if not then all the other commandments seem to lose their purpose.

"Oh, I like the bit about not murdering but I don't see what's wrong with coveting my neighbour's wife."

 

But its ok to covet your neighbour's husband, children and goats.

 

Common sense and thoughtfulness help when regarding any kind of literature. Should Darwinists believe that Darwin was correct about all of his speculations?

I will waste my breath again, but please take note, I don't know if I will feel like explaining this too many more times. God did not write the Bible. God inspired the writers of the Bible to do so. Two men, inspired by the same flower, may write totally different descriptions of the flower. Men interpreted God's inspiration. Men are imperfect. Thus, the Bible is probably imperfect. Were the ten commandments of exodus and deuteronomy valid? As valid as Hammurabi's laws, I'd say. Were there Giants in those days? Maybe, I wasn't there. Absolute decision of factuality about a collection of writings will probably be incorrect. If you have a tub of bathwater, with a baby in it, do you throw out the entire container?